Parks was arrested at a time in American history when, under Jim Crow laws, African Americans faced discrimination and segregation across the South. Blacks, on average, earned half the amount of whites.Growing up in the segregated South, Parks was frequently confronted with racial discrimination and violence. Early in life, Rosa experienced racial discrimination and activism for racial equality. This ruling created the 'separate, but equal' doctrine which legalized discrimination in all public areas (Oyez, 2019). In the wake of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Parks lost her tailoring job and received death threats. During the 1950s and 60s, African Americans were subjected to systemic segregation and discrimination, affecting every aspect of their daily lives. For example, it is illegal to discriminate against an employee because her husband has a disability. When John F. Kennedy became president in 1961, African Americans faced significant discrimination in the United States. Virginia (1960), which forbade racial discrimination in interstate travel.